Obstructive Apneas in a Mouse Model of Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome.

Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS) is characterized by life-threatening sleep hypoventilation and is caused by gene mutations, most frequently the mutation, with patients requiring lifelong ventilatory support. It is unclear whether obstructive apneas are part of the syndrome. To determine if mice, which present the main symptoms of CCHS and die within hours after birth, also express obstructive apneas, and to investigate potential underlying mechanisms.

Nebulized curcumin protects neonatal lungs from antenatal insult in rats.

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) increases the risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), one of the major complications of prematurity. Antenatal low-protein diet (LPD) exposure in rats induces IUGR and mimics BPD-related alveolarization disorders. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) plays a key role in normal lung development and was found deregulated following LPD exposure.

Breathing under Anesthesia: A Key Role for the Retrotrapezoid Nucleus Revealed by Conditional Phox2b Mutant Mice.

Background: Optimal management of anesthesia-induced respiratory depression requires identification of the neural pathways that are most effective in maintaining breathing during anesthesia. Lesion studies point to the brainstem retrotrapezoid nucleus. We therefore examined the respiratory effects of common anesthetic/analgesic agents in mice with selective genetic loss of retrotrapezoid nucleus neurons (Phox2b mice, hereafter designated "mutants").

Safety study of Ciprofloxacin in newborn mice.

Ciprofloxacin, a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent belonging to the fluoroquinolone family, is prescribed off-label in infants less than one year of age. Ciprofloxacin is included in the European Medicines Agency priority list of off-patent medicinal products requiring evaluation in neonates. This evaluation is undergoing within the TINN (Treat Infections in Neonates) FP7 EU project.